Portable scaffolds and work towers



Jan. 19, 1965 J. M. TITZEL PORTABLE SCAFFOLDS AND WORK TOWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1962 INVENTOR John M. Titzel Q (T a/imw/d/f 42 @27 situations pose the same problems.

UnitedfState-s Patent 3,166,154 PORTABLE SAFFGLD AND WQRK TGWEI ES John M. Titzel, Fox Chapel, Pa, assignor to Titzel Engineering Ina, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Filed Feb. 2, 1952, Ser. No. 170,747 7 4 Ciaims. (@l. 182-1128) This invention relates to portable scaflolds and work towers and particularly to portable scaffolds adapted for use in relining hollow vessels such as the so called L-D furnace and ladies. Such furnaces and ladies pose a real problem in the handling of men and material for the relining operation, although many other furnaces and Since the oxygen steel making furnaceis typical of such problem job, I shall particularly describe the operation of this inven- FIGURE :4 is a Referring to the drawings 1 haveillustrated, a typical oxygen steel vessel 10 having an outer steel-shell into which a lining of insulating brick 111, insulating cement 12 and refractory brick 13 is placed. #ALIOWeI 14 with movable scaffold (more fully described later) in col: lapsed position according to my invention is inserted through the opening 15 of the vessel 10 by means of ,a

conventional overhead crane or some similar means. The

tion in the oxygen steelmaking furnace relining pracj tice. It is necessary to reline the furnace after approxi mately 7 or 8 days of operation; By prior art practices this relining consumed approm'mately a week or more. This means that it has been necessary to have two furnaces available, one operating and one being relined; so that each furnace operates only 50% of its time while being relined the remaining 50%. This is a tremendous loss of time and money. The practice in the past has been to reline the furnace from the bottom as high as the workman could work satisfactorily. A'wooden scaffold was then constructed stepwise in the furnace until the job was completed. Upon completion-of the job the scaffolding had to be removed. The handling of material 7 was done by the general overhead 'crane working in the area. I 1

I have invented a portable scaffold structure which eliminates these problems of'the prior art. Mystructure makes it possible to reline a furnace in less time than the time required by prior art practices. The invention eliminates entirely the need for Wooden scaifolding and therefore the need for workmen to install the scaffolding. It also eliminates the continual dependence of the work upon the general overhead crane. My invention materially reduces the loss of time, labor, and materials which has characterized the prior art practices.

In a preferred form of my invention I provide an elongated tower structure adapted to pass through the opening of the'object within which work is to be done. Guide means are spaced on the periphery of the tower. Leveling means are provided on the base or top portion of the tower whereby the, tower may be plumbed.

guide means. Support members "or arms pivoted .on.

the carrier means are movable from a position paraltel bers whereby to form a platform. Elevator means on the tower is slidable within the tower mean selectively raising and lowering the elevator and the carrier means. Preferably a removable apron is provided on the tower connecting the interior of the, tower with a service floor from which work is to be done. V L r g In the foregoing general description I have set out certain objects, advantages and purposesof my invention; Other objects, advantages and purposes will be apparent f om a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through an oxygen steel vessel showing the apparatus of this invention in use;

' FIGURE 2 is a side elevationviewed from the left of- .FIGURE 1 of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 with the sup-' Ac'arrier' surrounds the tower and is slidable vertically onthe tower is provided at the bottom with leveling jack-s 16 1 V which rest on the bottom 17,01? the furnace. The tower is plumbed by adjusting the leveling jacks. Guide members 18 are fixed at the corners of the tower-and extend from the bottom of the towerto 'a point adjacent the opening 15 or to a height above the height of the work to be done. A carrier frame 19 is slidably mounted on the guides 18 for vertical movement thereong' Support 'aser'vicefioor 31. A removable hand rail 32 is remov- 7 hold the carrier at any selectedlevel.

mounted on the carrier 19 so as-to be pivotable from a position in which they lie parallelto the guide memhers is (see FIGURE 2) to a position where' they are normal to the guide members 113 (see FIGURE 1). The arms 20 are made in two segments 26a} and 29b telescoping one within the other soasto form an extensible arm making it possible to vary the lengthofthe ann.

Brace members 22 are pinned on the arms at either anchor plate 22a or 22b depending on the position of the arms, and the carrier 19 so as to hold the arms against i collapse when the arms are extended into their position normal to the guide'members. Removable surface plates 23 are placed on the arms 20 to form a work surface on which the workmen may move and supplies may be stored.

A-hook eye (not shown) is provided on the carrier 19 V which may be engaged by a latch (not shown) on elevator cage 26. When the latch is engaged in the hook eye the carrier is moved vertically with the cage to a new 7 doors 29 are provided on the elevator. Hook means 29a. are provided on the frame to receive removable aprons 39 which may be used as an access tothe doors 29 from ably inserted in openings 33 in the aprons. The aprons to support the aprons. ,The elevator 29 is used to carry men' and material from the working platform 23 to the servicefloor 31. Holes 19a are provided in the carrier frame 19 and the guides 18 to recei In the embodiment of my invention illustrated inFIG. URE 5, I have shown a structure basically identical with thatof FIGURES '1 through 4 and carrying the identical".

reference numerals with the addition of the letter a. In the form shown in FIGURE 5, however, I have added hinge lugs 36 on the tower 14a carrying a hinge pintle 37 which passes through an opening inone end of anontrigger 38-so as to permit theoutnigger to pivot on the tower frame. The opposite end of the outrigger is pro- 7 vided with an opening '39 threadingly carrying a jack' screw 49 adapted to engage thefupp er face 41 surround-v ing the opening 15a of the vessel 10a. The tower 14a is preliminarily leveled by adjusting the leveling screws 4%) so as to position the tower inthe furnacetf The level ing; jacks 16a are then positioned and adjusted to;-ihold 3,166,154 Patented Jan. s, 19 5' section on the line 1v Ivf orrtofve pins 1% which v the bottom of the tower framel The outriggers may then be removed or left in place as desired. It is, of course, obvious that the leveling screws 40 might bear on a separate floor member surrounding thevessel, or upon special support members above the zvessel, in which case the screws 40 might be placed higher on the, tower frame.

' Inthe foregoing specification I'have set :out certain preferred embodiments of my invention. It will be understood however that this invention may be otherwise embodied within' the scope of t-he following claims.

I claim; a 4 w 1. A portable work tower particularly adapted for use in vesselsh aving an opening smaller than the interior comprising an elongated tower means adapted to pass through thezopening in said vessel'and be normally free standing, said tower means including upper and lower 7 portions having spaced apart vertically extending members at the corners of a quadrangle, said vertically extendin'g'members on the lower portion being provided with carrier. means vertically movable thereon, base means on the lower portion adapted to engage the vessel bottom atgspaced, apart adjustable level points where- "by the tower'may be levelled-and supported, 'a plunalityv of support arms spaced about said carrier means and 'pivoted thereon-from a position paralled to the lower portion of the tower to a position transverse to the tower means to form a workingplatform, spacedbage guides within the upper and lower portions forming an inner I means being selectively coupled with said carrier means for raising and lowering said carrier means with said cage means.

2. A portable work tower as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tower means is provided with removable outriggers extending transversely outwardly from the tower intermediate the ends thereof and terminating in free ends,

3 jack means carried by said free ends adapted to'bear on a supporting surface spaced from and surrounding the tower to provide temporary support for setting the tower.

3. A portable work tower as claimed in claim 1 where- V in the carrier means is formed of generally annular members surrounding and slidable on the vertically extendy inthe annular members of the carrier means and the V lectivelyraising' and lowering the cage means, said cage vertically extending members of the lower tower portion are provided with matingfopeningsv adapted to receive locking pins to hold the carrier at a given level.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent V UNITED'STATES PATENTS V 7 1,380,074 Mvers May 31,1921 I 2,563,682 'Laabacka g Aug. 7, 1951 2,933,918 Arnold Apr. 26, 1960 3,033,389 Abarotin May 8, 1962 V V OREI PATENTS 1,181,529 7 France 'JanflZ, 1959 

1. A PORTABLE WORK TOWER PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN VESSELS HAVING AN OPENING SMALLER THAN THE INTERIOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TOWER MEANS ADAPTED TO PASS THROUGH THE OPENING IN SAID VESSEL AND BE NORMALLY FREE STANDING, SAID TOWER MEANS INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS HAVING SPACED APART VERTICALLY EXTENSING MEMBERS AT THE CORNERS OF A QUADRANGLE, SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING MEMBERS ON THE LOWER PORTION BEING PROVIDED WITH CARRIER MEANS VERTICALLY MOVABLE THEREON, BASE MEANS ON THE LOWER PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE VESSEL BOTTOM AT SPACED APART ADJUSTABLE LEVEL POINTS WHEREBY THE TOWER MAY BE LEVELLED AND SUPPOTED, A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT ARMS SPACED ABOUT SAID CARRIER MEANS AND PIVOTED THEREON FROM A POSITION PARALLEL TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE TOWER TO A POSITION TRANSVERSE TO THE TOWER MEANS TO FORM A WORKING PLATFORM, SPACED CAGE GUIDES WITHIN THE UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS FORMING AN INNER CAGE GUIDE EXTENDING FROM ADJACENT ONE END OF THE TOWER TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID TOWER, CAGE MEANS VERTICALLY MOVABLE ON SAID CAGE GUIDES WITHIN THE UPPER AND LOWER TOWER PORTIONS AND LIFT MEANS ON THE TOWER MEANS SELECTIVELY RAISING AND LOWERING THE CAGE MEANS, SAID CAGE MEANS BEING SELECTIVELY COUPLED WITH SAID CARRIER MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID CARRIER MEANS WITH SAID CAGE MEANS. 